Method of forming designs by electrodeposition.



F. A. WALTER.

METHOD OF FORMING DE$IGNS BY ELEGTRODEPOSITION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1907.

924,020. Patented June 8, 1909.

\X/I'I'NESEEEI Rh/ENTER: WW 4 Jv'z'tz, (12hr. Walter v IUNIT FRITZ ALBIN WALTER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF FORMING DESIGNS BY ELECTRODEPOSITION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

A Application filed September 28, 1907. Serial No. 395,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRITZ ALBIN WALTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Method of Forming Designs by Electrodeposition, of which the following is a specification. r This invention relates to signs of that class in which a formed-up letter of considerable thickness is secured to a suitable background, such, for instance, as glass or like material.

The purpose of my present invention is to overcome the difficulties heretofore experienced on account of the weight of the letters of such a sign when formed of metal, to rovide such a sign in which thecharacters s all be of minimum weight and an efficient and economical method of constructing the characters and also means for maintaining'the proper alinement of the letters while they are eing assembled and secured to the background.

It is often difficult, in attaching the letters I of such a sign to the background, .to main tam perfect alinement, and as I prefer to useletters and connecting members each havin a very, thin shell and a cavity therein whic may e'used for receiving the cement, by means, of which it is attached to the background, I have found it very desirable to connect a number of such letters to ether by means of suitably ornamental scro ls or like features of ornamentation, such connectin features also serve to braceaor stiffen, as well as support 1n proper ahnement, the connected letters in handling and attaching them to the backing.

While I usually prefer to attach the letters to the background with the hollow sides thereof toward the background, still, I do not limit myself to such an arrangement.

In order that the letters of my sign may be as light as possible, I prefer to form them by electro-deposition, and in order that the form or mold for suchelectro-deposition may be made as cheaply as possible and admit of repeated use, I have devised the following method for producing the 'mold for the letters or characters of my sign and also of producin such sigp therefrom.

I ta e a suita 1e metallic plate, preferably of lead and preferably also presenting a smooth and true surface uppermost, and upon this I spread a layer of wax, of suitable consistency, and usually to uniform thickness or depth, the depth of the wax being substantially the depth of the characters or letters to be formed. On this wax I lay out the let ters of the sign and the connecting members in negative and remove the wax over the space covered by such characters and con necting members down to the lead plate. I prefer to give the edges of the letters a slight bevel in order to provide a sufficient draft for 5 the ready removal of the letters when formed by electro-deposition and also to give a pleasing efiect to the completed sign so that the letters and connecting members thereof shall have beveled edges. The edges of the wax left upon the plate and forming the edge of the letters around the outline of the sign and the connecting members are then suitably coated with graphite or other conducting powder, which may also be spread over the exposed surface of the lead plate-without injury to the sign. 1 I

The mold thus formed is inserted in an electro-platin bath and when properly connected up an the current is turned on, the metal of which the letters areto be formed, such as cop er, is electro-deposited over the surface of-t e exposed portions of the lead plate and the edges of the Wax com rising the outline of the sign, such electroe osition forming athin shell of copper, the t 'ckness of which may be regulated in the usual way common to electrolating. When the electro-deposition has ta en lace to a sufficient extent to form letters aving walls of the desired thickness, the mold is removedfrom the bath and the com leted sign' is readily removable from the p ate and mold.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a sign comprising the word Cigars having the'letters thereof connected'and formed by electro-deposition in the manner described in accordance with my invention and attached to the background of glass, by means of cement filling the eavitybf the letters and connecting members. i

The drawings are as follows:

Figure 1 shows such a sign in face viewas/ throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, G is a late of glass, to which the connected letters orming the legend or sign Cigars are attached by means of cement filling the cavities on the rear sides of the letters. sign are all connected, as will be seen and an inclosing scroll of leasing conformation is formed for connecting the extreme ends of the sign and bracing the parts. I ma add that such connecting members aid also in securing a more uniform electro-deposition of the metal forming the walls of the shelllike letters of the sign.

Referring to Fig. 2, -D is the electrodeposited metal comprising the walls of the letters and connectin members. G is the plate of glass, to which the letters D and their connecting members are secured by means of cement C filling the cavities on the rear sides thereof;

Refer now to Fig. 3. 1 is the lead plate, the upper surface of which may preferably be smooth and over thislead plate 1 there is spread a layer of wax to to such a depth,

referably uniform, as it is desired to give the etters and connecting members of the sign, It will of course'be understood, however,

that the depth of the Wax may vary at different points to give greater or less depth to diiferent parts of the sign, as desired. On the upper surface of the wax the sign is laid out in negative and the wax removed down to the lead late-1 and to the contour of the completed etters andconnectingmembers. It is important that the edges ofthe wax remaining upon the plate and around the removed portions be beveled to provide a sufficient draft for the ready removal of the sign and such a bevel may also besuflicient to give to the completed letters and connect ing members appreciably beveled edges. The edges of the wax around the cavities formed therein by the removed portions are coated with graphite or suitable conducting powder 9, which may also, when desired, be

extended over the exposed surface of the lead plate. The coating of gra hite g on the exposed portions of the lead p ate is so very tlnn compared with that upon the wax as to render it almost inappreciable and for that reason it is not shown in Fig. 3. The lead plate and the wax comprising the mold is then inserted in an electro plating bath and the current turned on and the desired metal D, forming the alls of the letters and con nectingv members, is deposited by electro deposition and this process is ,allowed to continue until the desired thickness of wall The letters of this for such letters has been secured, when the current is turned oif and the mold is removed from the electro plating bath and the com leted sign is readily removable from the mol The exposed surface of the characters may then be olished or coated by electro deposition with any suitable metal, as nickel, silver or gold.

What I claim is 1. The within described method of forming a design by electro de osition, which consists in providing a mol com rising a base plate of conducting material aving spread thereover a layer of non-conducting material removed from such base plateto form therewith a matrix of the design bottomin on such base plate and having sides forme by the edges of the non-conducting material left on the plate, such cavities coated with conducting material and forming the design by electro deposition upon such coatin of conducting material and the bottom p ate forming the base of such mold.

2. The within described method of form ing a design by electro de osition, which consists in providing a mol com rising a base plate of conducting material aving spread thereover a layer of plastic and non-conducting material, such plastic and non-conducting material removed from such base plate to form a matrix therewith or the design bottoming on such base plate and having sides formed by the edges of the plastic and nonconducting material left on the plate, such cavities coated with conducting material and forming the design by electro deposition upon such coatin of conductingmaterial and the bottom p ate forming the base of such mold.

3. The within described method of forming a design by electro de osition, which conon the base plate rendered conductive and in electrical connection with the base late and forming the design by electro eposition u on such plastic material and the bottom p ate forming the base of such mold.

FRITZ ALBIN WVALTER.

Witnesses-c Lorrm Woon, OSBORNE F. GURNEY. 

